Portable concrete-pole equipment



April 28, -931. E. E. HAWKINSON 1,802,762

ORTABLE CONCRETE POLE EQUIPMENT Filed Aug. 25, 1927 l N V ENTO R 5 7 f. Hawk/ 750 ATT'oRNEY Ui ll l STATES r'rsr EMIL E. HAWKIN SON, OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR T WESTINGHOUSE ELEC- TRIO & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA PORTABLE CONCRETE-POLE EQUIPMENT Application filed August 25, 1927.

Heretofore, various arrangements of con crete mixers, mold pits and spinning lathes have been used in the making of centrifugally spun poles, but such'pole making plants were inherently adapted for use in a permanent location only. It has been found to be desirable,

in order to save transportation costs, that a plant be provided which may readily be moved from place to place so that the poles may be manufactured where they are to be used.

An object of my invention is to provide a plant of this description which may readily be moved about from place to place and in which the manufacture of the poles is carried out in an efficient and time-saving manner.

Another object of my invention is to provide a compact unitary manufacturing plant which shall be relatively inexpensive in construction and in which the moving parts are protected from the weather.

' Other objects of my invention will become apparent from the following description of the construction and operation of my manufacturing plant.

The single figure of the drawing 15 a perspective view of my pole-manufacturing plant set up for operation.

Referring to the drawings, my manufacturing plant is mounted on a standard flat car 1. A raised platform or tower 2 is provided at one end of the flat car for supporting the concrete mixer 3.

The tower is preferably constructed of 1 four heavy angle iron supports or uprights 1, braced by suitable cross support 5. The lower portion of the tower is preferably covered with steel sheets 6 and the two lower sheets 7 and 8, located near a lathe 13 are provided with apertured portions 11 so that they may be readily removed to perm1t ac- 0 cess to the headstock of the lathe 13 from out- Serial No. 215,296.

side the tower. The motive power device 9 for driving the lathe 13 is mounted inside the tower, so that it may be protected from the elements. The motive power device may be an electric motor or an internal'combustion engine, for example. The upper portion of the tower is provided with beams 14 which rigidly join the ends of. the angle iron members and furnish a substantially square foundation for mounting a concrete mixer of any suitable type thereon.

A platform 15 having a railing 16 is provided on the upper portion of the tower, .so that the operator may have ready access to the control levers of the concrete mixer. An inclined supporting or channel member '17 extends from the platform 15to the ground for supporting a split mold 18, which is used in forming a concrete pole. The mold rests upon a holding member or bracket 21, located near the lowerend of channel 17, while the mold is being filled, the upper end of the -.mold being properly positioned under outlet 27 of concrete mixer 3.

The lathe type spinning machine 13 is,

mounted longitudinally of the flat car and, as has been stated, the motive power device 9 for drivlng the lathe is mounted within the enclosed tower 2. The tail stock; 22, and

concrete mixer 3 is lowered and filled with aggregate from the bin 24 and, on being raised the aggregate slides into the barrel 26 of the concrete mixer. When the concrete has been thoroughly mixed, it is dumped through the outlet 27 into the mold 18 which is properly supported by the channel member17. l/Vhile the mold 18 is being filled a filled mold 159 is being spun by the lathe.

WVhen the mold 18 has been completely filled;

a crane mounted on a second car (not shown) is brought up beside the manufacturing plant, and the filled mold is lifted and placed in position in the spinning lathe. The mold is rotated until the spinning operation is complete, and is then removed by the crane and deposited on the ground where it remains until the molded concrete pole is suitably cured. Another mold is meanwhile put in position on the support 17 and the process repeated.

In practice a number of molds are used and the process of filling the molds and spinning them may be so arranged that the crane removes the spun mold from the spinning lathe, places a filled mold in the lathe and places an empty mold in position on the inclined channel member 17 ready to be filled. In this way practically continuous operation of the concrete mixer and spinning lathe is secured thereby expediting the manufacturing operation and securing greater e'iiiciency and lower manufacturing cost.

My invention provides a compact, port able or mobile unit which may readily be moved from place to place and in which the manufacture of concrete poles is carried on in an efficient, inexpensive manner.

Although I have shown and described a specific modification of my manufacturing plant, it is apparent that other modifications may be made by those skilled in the art. For instance, the crane may be mounted at the opposite end of the flat car from the tower and the flat car provided with driving means detachably coupled to the wheels so that the car may be. moved up and down the track.

These and other modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as definedin the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

In a plant for manufacturing concrete articles by the centrifugal process a movablymounted, longitudinally-extending raised platform, a lathe bed extending longitudinally of the platform, a tail-stock and steady rests spaced along the lathe bed and a coupling and power driving means at one end of the lathe bed, an enclosed tower mounted at one end of the raised platform for covering the coupling and driving means to protect them from the elements and for supporting a concrete mixer in an elevated position, a concrete mixer disposed on top of the tower and arranged with its outlet to discharge at the side of the platform, and a channel member positioned beneath the outlet of the concrete mixer and resting against the tower and a mold whereby the mold may be placed in the channel member and filled fromoneend from the concrete mixer and may then be picked up, placed in the lathe and spun, the whole process being accomplished with a minimum of movement of the mold.

EMIL E. HAWKINSON. 

